Garan, Inc. v. Reynolds

371 F. Supp. 404, 85 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2460, 1974 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12412, 73 Lab. Cas. (CCH) 14,366
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Mississippi
DecidedFebruary 4, 1974
DocketNo. EC 74-10-S
StatusPublished

This text of 371 F. Supp. 404 (Garan, Inc. v. Reynolds) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Mississippi primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Garan, Inc. v. Reynolds, 371 F. Supp. 404, 85 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2460, 1974 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12412, 73 Lab. Cas. (CCH) 14,366 (N.D. Miss. 1974).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OF DECISION

ORMA R. SMITH, District Judge.

The plaintiff, Garan, Inc., filed a verified complaint in the action sub judice on January 28, 1974, seeking an injunction against defendant, John J. A. Reynolds, Jr., Regional Director of the Twenty-Sixth Region of the National Labor Relations Board (Board), to restrain him from conducting a hearing in N.L.R.B. Cases .Nos. 26-CA-4899, -1, -2, -3; 26-CA-4908, -2, -3; 26-CA-4922; and 26-RC-4631 until March 5, 1974, or as soon thereafter as shall be just and reasonable.

The action was set for hearing at the United States Courthouse in Aberdeen, Mississippi, at 2:00 o’clock P.M. on February 1, 1974. A copy of the order to show cause why the injunction should not issue, entered by the court on January 29, 1974, was served upon counsel for defendant, and the defendant notified of the hearing by telegraphic means on the date last mentioned. The parties appeared through counsel at the time and place designated. The action was submitted on the record and briefs and argument of counsel.

After a careful consideration of the issues presented, the court is of the opinion and so finds that the court does not have jurisdiction of the controversy, and defendant’s motion to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction over the subject matter of the action should be granted pursuant to Rule 12(b) (1) F.R.Civ.P.

It appears from the verified complaint that plaintiff, a New York corporation, operates manufacturing plants in Kosciusko, Starkville and Lambert, Mississippi. Each plant is a separate corporation organized under the laws of the state of New York, and each is a wholly owned subsidiary of plaintiff.

The Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America, AFL-CIO (Union), filed charges and amended charges with the [406]*406Board alleging unfair labor practices at the Starkville and Kosciusko plants.

On December 7, 1973, the Board, through its regional director, defendant herein, ordered that the cases be consolidated and issued a consolidated complaint and notice of hearing. The hearing was scheduled for January 8, 1974.

Upon receipt of the complaint on December 10, 1973, plaintiff assigned the matter to its counsel, Honorable Michael S. Fawer of the New Orleans law firm of Kullman, Lang, Inman & Bee, for trial purposes. Mr. Fawer immediately commenced preparation for the trial on January 8, which was then less than one month away. The scheduling of the preparation was complicated by the fact that both plants were to be closed from December 21, 1973 to January 2, 1974.

On December 13, 1973, Mr. Fawer filed a motion to sever the action as between the two plants. This motion was referred on December 17, 1973 to the Administrative Law Judge. Plaintiff answered the complaint on December 19, 1973.

On December 12, 1973, the Union filed objections to an election held at the Koscuisko plant on December 9, 1973. The objections were identical in many respects to the allegations forming the basis for the unfair labor practice complaint.

On December 19, 1973, Mr. Fawer telephoned the defendant’s office and talked with the Acting Director about the matter. Mr. Fawer was informed that an order had just been issued consolidating the hearing on the objections with that on the complaint. Mr. Fawer was assured, at the time, that the hearing would be held as planned on January 8, 1974. Being thus faced with a hearing on January 8, 1974, Mr. Fawer cleared his trial calendar for the week of January 8, 1974, as well as for the period between Christmas, 1973 and January 8, 1974, in order to visit the two plants for the purpose of preparing for the trial. Other cases scheduled for trial by Mr. Fawer during this period were rescheduled for the latter part of January 1974. Three of the cases rescheduled were calendared for the week of January 28, 1974.

On December 28, 1973, Mr. Fawer received a telegraphic communication from defendant advising that the hearing had been adjourned to January 29, 1974. Mr. Fawer telephoned defendant’s office to enter protests to the delay and to insist that the matter be heard on the day of the original setting, i. e., January 8, 1974. Pursuant to instructions which he received from defendant’s office, Mr. Fawer made known his objections to the delay by a letter dated December 28, 1974, directed to the Regional Director. Mr. Fawer set forth in his letter the facts above mentioned concerning his trial commitments, and requested that the hearing be postponed until after March 1, 1974, or that it be rescheduled for January 8, 1974 as originally planned.

Mr. Fawer made known to the Regional Director that he was trial counsel for the defendant in each of two complicated and involved criminal cases then scheduled for trial seriatim in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi commencing February 18, 1974; and, in order to properly prepare for the trial of these cases, that his presence would be required in Gulfport, Mississippi for the three-week period just prior to the trial date. Mr. Fawer complained of the summary manner in which the rescheduling of the hearing had been accomplished and of the fact that he was not accorded the common courtesy normally afforded counsel in all other aspects of the law of inquiry in advance as to whether the new date would be agreeable.

On January 2, 1974, Mr. Fawer was advised by defendant’s office in a telephone conversation that the letter was not acceptable, and that his request for postponement of the hearing must be made in the form of a motion. This defect was cured when defendant accepted a second letter, dated January 2, 1974, designating the first letter as a motion [407]*407to reinstate the original hearing date of January 8, 1974, or to postpone the hearing until March 5, 1974 or thereafter.

On January 3, 1974, a second order consolidating eases and an amended consolidated complaint and notice for hearing were issued by defendant. The order consolidated a complaint for unfair labor practices by the Union against the Lambert plant with the complaints against the Kosciusko and Starkville plants, and fixed the hearing date for all complaints on January 29,1974.

Defendant entered an order on January 4, 1974 overruling plaintiff’s motion to reinstate the January 8, 1974 hearing. The order reserved the ruling on the alternate motion to postpone the hearing until March 5, 1974 pending receipt of the position of the charging party in regard thereto. On January 9, 1974, defendant overruled the motion to postpone the hearing until March 5, 1974, but rescheduled the hearing for February 12, 1974.

Plaintiff filed an application for special permission to appeal to the National Labor Relations Board from the action of defendant in denying the postponement until March 5, 1974. The Board denied this request on January 23, 1974.

The action sub judice was then instituted to enjoin defendant from proceeding in the matter until March 5, 1974. Plaintiff contends that defendant arbitrarily and capriciously refused to postpone the hearing which had been rescheduled for February 12, 1974, and that the rescheduling was done by defendant at a time when defendant knew that a hearing on that date would conflict with a prior commitment of plaintiff’s trial attorney.1

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371 F. Supp. 404, 85 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2460, 1974 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12412, 73 Lab. Cas. (CCH) 14,366, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/garan-inc-v-reynolds-msnd-1974.